Winners and losers from Auburn’s loss to Alabama

The Auburn Tigers will not be bowling this season. Hugh Freeze and his team lost another SEC match on Saturday, this time against rival Alabama 28-14 in the Iron Bowl.

After defeating Texas A&M in a thrilling contest on senior night, the Tigers couldn’t overcome the plethora of issues that have plagued them most of the season on Saturday. While the offense was able to move the ball in the middle of the field, strange play calls and poor execution caused many of Auburn’s attacks to stall once Payton Thorne and Co. reached the opposing side of the field. The Tigers’ defense played well, but some tackle issues and fatigue from poor offensive performance were enough to kill most of the momentum created by Alabama’s surrender. Despite the loss, the Iron Bowl was filled with solid and not-so-solid individual performances all around. Here are the winners and losers from Auburn’s seventh and final loss of the season.

Jalen McLeod

Auburn linebacker Jalen McLeod ended his Tigers career with a bang in the Iron Bowl. The Washington, D.C. native followed up his season-high 10 tackles against Texas A&M with another 9 tackles against Alabama. McLeod’s impact was felt throughout the contest as he scored a pair of turnovers with a strip sack of Jalen Milroe, which was followed by another forced fumble later in the game.

Loser: Auburn’s play call

Auburn’s offense left a lot of points on the board Saturday, but two specific instances of incompetence stood out. First, the Tigers failed to find the end zone late in the first half after Payton Thorne caught Rivaldo Fairweather with a long pass to score first inside the five-point line. Auburn continued to lose yardage and settled for a field goal. Auburn suffered an even greater disaster in the fourth quarter when running back Jarquez Hunter threw a red-zone interception to nearly seal the loss.

Winner: KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Auburn wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith ended his fantastic first and only season on the Plains with another great game. The senior receiver had a game-high 8 receptions for 116 yards in the loss, but his most notable impact may have been an incomplete pass. Lambert-Smith got into a tense duel with the Alabama defensive backs in the second quarter after a late score, which at that point seemed to shift the momentum entirely to the Tigers.

Loser: Auburn’s kicking game

While it ultimately didn’t matter, aside from those rooting for Auburn to cover the spread, the Tigers fell short again on Saturday. The Tigers’ offense has struggled with many issues this season, but one of the most glaring has been Auburn’s inability to solve the kicking game as Alex McPherson battled an illness throughout the fall. McPherson now has a full year to recover, which will hopefully give him enough time to return to his starting role next season.

Winner: Cam Coleman

Cam Coleman capped off an incredible final month of his freshman season with another touchdown on Saturday. Coleman was one of the best pass catchers in the country over the final three weeks of the season, catching 22 passes for 306 yards and 6 scores. As long as he doesn’t enter the transfer portal, the Phenix City, AL native will be the Tigers’ top receiving option in 2025.

Losers: Fringe playoff teams

The Crimson Tide were ranked as one of the first teams from the College Football Playoff field to advance to the final game of the regular season. With wins and losses from Clemson, Miami and Ohio State, Alabama should get back into the 12-team field before the start of conference championship week. While a lot of movement is still likely, teams like the aforementioned Clemson and Miami, as well as South Carolina, SMU and Arizona State, would have loved an Auburn win on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Winners and losers from Auburn’s loss to Alabama